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On an unusually sunny day outside No 3 Hans Crescent, Knightbridge, during our solidarity vigil in support of WikiLeaks Julian Assange, the conversation turned onto the amount of time it was taking the Swedish Prosecution in expediting the holding case against Julian, noting that four months had already passed since we witnessed the Swedish Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren walk into the Ecuadorian Embassy to take his witness statement.
And so we thought it a good idea to find out how long would it take a professional translator to get on with translating the 20 page document. And here is their reply:
We would normally charge a fee of GBP 0.15 per word for translations from English to Swedish, with a minimum charge of GBP 45.00 on our standard service.
Your file, carrying a total of 9,817 words, will cost GBP 1,472.55 (excl. VAT) to translate to Swedish on our standard service, and we would be able to deliver your completed translation to you by email in 4 business days.
Four business days!!! The following day, the Swedish Prosecution service announced that the Assange interview has been translated. How can we accept that more than four months is the required time for Swedish Prosecution service, with the full resource backing of a prosperous state, to translate the witness statement and related paperwork when for 6 and a half years the wellbeing of a man has been compromised, his reputation smeared, and has been illegally detained by Sweden and the UK. Isn’t this tyranny? Isn’t this travesty of justice when at every possible opportunity the ones who are entrusted with delivering justice prevaricate, procrastinate and reluctantly engage with the necessary processes that they are responsible to carry out by their public office?
We carry on week in week out to stand witness at this injustice, but we do not lose heart and repeat what is obvious to hundreds upon hundreds who stop by the vigil to enquire about the wellbeing of an ordinary man who is doing extraordinary things and bears the consequences un-yielding: “Free Assange”.
As long as he is in there, we are out here in solidarity 🙂 There will be Justice!
greekemmy 